1. Field Of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid processing apparatus configured to process a lower surface and a side surface of an object to be processed such as a semiconductor wafer.
2. Description of Related Art
There has been conventionally known a bevel etching apparatus (liquid processing apparatus) that selectively etches a circumferential part of an upper surface and a lower surface of a substrate (object to be processed), by supplying a gas onto the upper surface of the substrate and simultaneously supplying an etching liquid onto the lower surface of the substrate (see, JP2002-110626A). The bevel etching apparatus (liquid processing apparatus) described in JP2002-110626A includes: a substrate holding and rotating means configured to rotate a substrate while holding the substrate in a substantially horizontal direction; an etching-liquid supply means configured to supply an etching liquid onto a lower surface of the substrate that is rotated by the substrate holding and rotating means; and a block plate (top plate) that is placed on the substrate holding and rotating means with a predetermined gap between the block plate and an upper surface of the substrate and is rotated together with the substrate by the substrate holding and rotating means. The block plate has an opening through which a gas for controlling a shifting of the etching liquid from the lower surface of the substrate to the upper surface thereof is supplied onto the upper surface of the substrate.
However, in the conventional technique disclosed in JP2002-110626A, the shifting of the etching liquid from the lower surface of the substrate to the upper surface thereof is not sufficiently prevented, and the spattering of the etching liquid from a circumferential part of the substrate is not sufficiently restrained.